Venezuela

Venezuela Travel Guide

Venezuela means 'Little Venice' in Spanish, the name given to
this northerly country in South America by the early explorers when
they found the natives living on the Sinamaica lagoon, in houses
built on stilts, close to the present day oil-rich city of
Maracaibo.

The people have a reputation for being welcoming and friendly,
although there is a problem with street crime in the larger cities,
Caracas in particular. Venezuela has an abundance of natural
resources, including one of the biggest oil reserves in the world.
The resulting revenues have helped build good infrastructure and
encouraged the country's leadership to forge an independent path in
international relations, but in many ways Venezuela is still a poor
country, wrestling with a number of issues. More specifically, its
economy is in freefall, with hyperinflation, power cuts, as well as
food and medicine shortages forcing millions to leave the
country.

Outside of its economic issues, Venezuela is blessed with
diverse landscapes, from miles of beautiful Caribbean beaches to
open plains, towering mountains, tracts of Amazon rainforest and
even a small desert. In the southeast, in Bolivar State, the Gran
Sabana National Park contains the spectacular Angel Falls, the
world's highest waterfall.

Venezuela's cities are similarly scenic, particularly the
capital, Caracas, which sprawls in a long, thin valley flanked by
the majestic Avila Mountain. Caracas is lively and green, with a
rich cultural life, vibrant nightlife, great restaurants and
marvellous modern shopping malls on offer. A favourite excursion in
Caracas is to ride the cable car to the summit of the Avila. The
popular city of Merida, in the Andes, also has its cable car, and
this one takes tourists on a one-hour journey to the highest point
in Venezuela, the Pico Bolivar, which reaches more than 16,404ft
(5,000m).

Venezuela has a little bit of everything that Latin America has
to offer, with the addition of thousands of miles of Caribbean
coastline, and the constantly pleasant temperature that makes it
good year-round destination. It is not a well-established tourist
destination, but for some intrepid travellers this is part of the
appeal of Venezuela.